Written questions by Garnier.

If she will take steps to ensure that further education colleges are able to apply discretion in relation to retaining students who may have been absent from maths or English GCSE lessons.

Further education colleges can decide to retain students who have been absent from their maths or English lessons, but they will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for every eligible student who is not offered the minimum planned teaching hours. This demonstrates the importance of supporting all students to make progress towards and attain level 2 in English and maths. A provider is permitted to opt out up to 2.5% of their 16- to 19 cohort from this requirement without financial penalty, where it is not appropriate to offer a student the minimum planned teaching hours.

What timeframe her Department uses to determine how long young people are out of education, employment or training before they are categorised as NEET.

The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These statistics are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.The methodology is consistent for all age groups and further details can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/neet-age-16-to-24-methodology. Estimates relate to the status of young people as recorded for the associated response period.Additionally, estimates of young people age 16 to 18 participating in education and training using departmental administrative data are published annually at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.This methodology enables an administrative estimate of those not in education or training. The LFS is used to estimate the proportion in employment. This source is considered the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET. This release is a snapshot of participation and employment at the end of the calendar year.Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.

What steps he is taking to prevent Further Education colleges from losing the whole funding allocation for students who do not meet the maths and English condition of funding.

Further education (FE) providers who do not support eligible students in maths and/or English under the maths and English condition of funding will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for each student and would not have their whole funding allocation removed. A provider is permitted to have non-compliance up to 2.5% of their total 16 to 19 cohort by opting them out of the requirements without incurring a financial penalty. This recognises that it may not be appropriate for all students to meet the requirements. Students with education health and care plans are eligible for an exemption.The department is delivering a package to ensure every student is supported to make progress towards and attain level 2. This includes significant additional investment, including increases to the English and maths funding rate of 11% and the disadvantage payments of 7%, in 2025/26, and £800 million additional investment in FE in 2026/27.

What information his Department holds on the number of young people who had dropped out of further education were trying to find work or training on 20 October 2025.

The department does not hold data on the number of people who have dropped out of further education and are searching for work or training.

Whether her Department engages with local authorities for the collection of data of the number of people not in education, employment or training.

The department regularly engages with local authorities with regard to monitoring not in education, employment or training (NEET) data and fulfilling their statutory duties. Statutory guidance directs local authorities to track information about all 16 and 17-year-olds (and up to 25 for those with education, health and care plans) and report monthly via the National Client Caseload Information System. This information will include whether they are NEET or have characteristics that put them at risk of becoming NEET, so that they and their delivery partners can effectively target and support those young people.This management information is published annually and includes a NEET comparative scorecard that supports local authorities in benchmarking their performance and helps them to identify weaknesses in tracking and engagement. This information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-neet-age-16-to-17-by-local-authority/2024-25. .The department also works with local authorities to support the use of data tools to identify those at an increased risk of becoming NEET, so they can be monitored and targeted with extra support.

What steps she is taking to help students to change their further education course.

Students in further education (FE) do have the option to change courses. The process can vary between institutions and may have implications for funding, which should be carefully considered.For funding purposes, a student aged 16 to 19 is considered as having started a study programme once they have remained on that programme within the current funding year for a defined period of time, as per the funding guidance accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula/16-to-19-funding-2025-to-2026-rates-and-formula.To support a change, colleges are responsible for providing independent careers guidance up to the age of 18, in accordance with the Gatsby Benchmarks. This includes ensuring that personal guidance meetings are available to all learners at key decision points, particularly when significant choices regarding study or career pathways are being made.

Whether those who leave further education before the end of their course are included in the without education, employment or training statistics in the year of departure.

The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.Additionally, estimates of young people aged 16 to 18 participating in education and training using the department’s administrative data are published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024. This release contains the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET.Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.Neither source can be used to estimate the number of young people who left school/further education before the end of their course. However, they will be included in the statistics as NEET if they had left their course prior to the reporting timeframe and not taken part in any employment or alternative education at that time.

Whether her Department applies the same methodology for the number of people not in employment, education or training who are (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 18 to 24 years of age.

The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These statistics are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.The methodology is consistent for all age groups and further details can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/neet-age-16-to-24-methodology. Estimates relate to the status of young people as recorded for the associated response period.Additionally, estimates of young people age 16 to 18 participating in education and training using departmental administrative data are published annually at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.This methodology enables an administrative estimate of those not in education or training. The LFS is used to estimate the proportion in employment. This source is considered the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET. This release is a snapshot of participation and employment at the end of the calendar year.Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.

What plans she has to provide pathways for students who have been withdrawn from further educations due to their absence from Maths and English GCSE lessons.

Further education colleges can decide to retain students who have been absent from their maths or English lessons, but they will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for every eligible student who is not offered the minimum planned teaching hours. This demonstrates the importance of supporting all students to make progress towards and attain level 2 in English and maths. A provider is permitted to opt out up to 2.5% of their 16- to 19 cohort from this requirement without financial penalty, where it is not appropriate to offer a student the minimum planned teaching hours.

If she will take steps to help support students who are retaking (a) maths and (b) English GCSE whilst in further education.

The department is committed to supporting high quality teaching and learning for students who are continuing their English and maths study during 16 to 19 under the maths and English condition of funding. The department has already introduced the requirement for providers to offer 100 hours minimum of classroom teaching per subject, supported by additional funding for providers, and set clearer expectations on which students should typically be entered into November resits, to avoid unnecessary repeated resits which we recognise are demoralising for students.We are also introducing new level 1 stepping stone qualifications to support post-16 students to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge, preparing those with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits the following year. In addition, we are working with the further education Commissioner to gather and share effective practice, to help providers support their students.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the implementation of the active debris removal mission.

The government is actively supporting the UK’s first Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, recognising its importance for space sustainability and economic growth.The UK Space Agency has launched a £75.6m procurement to deliver this mission, which will remove two defunct UK-licensed satellites from low Earth orbit using advanced robotic and autonomous navigation technologies.The ADR procurement process is currently live.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help support UK-based businesses that work on orbit (a) servicing and (b) assembly.

In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) has been identified as one of five National Space Capabilities, reflecting its strategic importance for economic growth, national security, and space sustainability.To date, the Government has supported the ISAM sector through national and European Space Agency programmes, such as the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), where £5.5m in funding is developing new technologies including capture mechanisms for unprepared satellites, long-range RADAR, and in-orbit refuelling interfaces.Work is underway to develop a cross-government delivery plan that will support UK-based businesses and provide longer term certainty. Further details will be published in 2026.

Whether it will be a formal requirement for the Digital Markets Champion to have a strong proficiency in (a) blockchain and (b) digital assets.

On July 15th the government published the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy. The strategy announced that the government will appointing an industry expert as Digital Markets Champion, who will provide leadership from, and for, the sector on wholesale market digitalisation. The government is working at pace to identify and appoint a suitable candidate for the role and will provide an update in due course.

Whether her department has made an assessment of the benefits of tokenised financial infrastructure.

Using distributed ledger technology to tokenise assets could deliver a step change in financial market efficiency, particularly by enabling more efficient, real-time data sharing which could lower operational costs and enhance resilience. It is important that the government works with the financial services regulators and the sector to understand and deliver these benefits. That is why the government has published its Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy and why it has taken forward the Digital Securities Sandbox which will facilitate the issuance, trading and settlement of tokenised securities in the UK on distributed ledgers. It is also taking forward other initiatives such as the Digital Gilt Instrument, or ‘DIGIT’, which will help demonstrate the benefits of these new technologies.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023.

We are committed to ensuring people achieve financial security in later life. That is why we prioritised the Pensions Investment Review and reforms in the Pension Schemes Bill – so that we can be confident savers automatically enrolled into workplace pension schemes can rightly enjoy the best possible outcomes. Our assessment of the pensions system is that the job is only half finished. In August we published a detailed report with our analysis, including on Automatic Enrolment and those groups not benefitting from pensions or undersaving. Furthermore, we have revived the Pensions Commission to address these very matters of adequacy, fairness and sustainability, especially for lower earners.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending pensions automatic enrolment to jobholders under the age of 22 on those people.

We are committed to ensuring people achieve financial security in later life. That is why we prioritised the Pensions Investment Review and reforms in the Pension Schemes Bill – so that we can be confident savers automatically enrolled into workplace pension schemes can rightly enjoy the best possible outcomes. Our assessment of the pensions system is that the job is only half finished. In August we published a detailed report with our analysis, including on Automatic Enrolment and those groups not benefitting from pensions or undersaving. Furthermore, we have revived the Pensions Commission to address these very matters of adequacy, fairness and sustainability, especially for lower earners.

Whether she plans to implement the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023.

We are committed to ensuring people achieve financial security in later life. That is why we prioritised the Pensions Investment Review and reforms in the Pension Schemes Bill – so that we can be confident savers automatically enrolled into workplace pension schemes can rightly enjoy the best possible outcomes. Our assessment of the pensions system is that the job is only half finished. In August we published a detailed report with our analysis, including on Automatic Enrolment and those groups not benefitting from pensions or undersaving. Furthermore, we have revived the Pensions Commission to address these very matters of adequacy, fairness and sustainability, especially for lower earners.

With reference to section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Act 1999, whether she has had discussions with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women and Safeguarding on the use of pre-recorded evidence in cases of (a) sexual assault and (b) rape.

The Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls regularly meets with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls to discuss shared priorities. These discussions ensure close collaboration across portfolios and a continued focus on improving support for victims throughout the criminal justice process.

With reference to section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Act 1999, what steps she is taking to ensure court proceedings in sexual cases are not repeatedly adjourned.

The Ministry of Justice’s 2025 impact evaluation of section 28 found that, between January 2019 and September 2022, victims were able to give evidence around five months before the trial. Although trials began one month later on average, the analysis was unable to examine the specific factors causing this delay. While section 28 hearings can occasionally affect scheduling – such as requiring a barrister to leave another trial – the evaluation found no discernible effect on the number of trials that are cancelled or rescheduled as a result of the measure.The progression of a case through the courts is a matter for the judiciary. Listing and case management decisions are made by the judiciary in collaboration with court listing officers, who prioritise cases involving vulnerable witnesses, including those involving serious sexual offences. To support this, HMCTS has introduced measures such as a national forum for listing officers to share best practice.

With reference to Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) victims and (b) witnesses are supported following their pre-recorded evidence.

Following the recording of section 28 evidence, victims and witnesses are supported through ongoing contact from Witness Care Units. They are offered access to specialist emotional and practical support services, including counselling where appropriate, to help them manage the impact of their experience. In line with their rights under the Victims’ Code, they also receive clear and timely updates on case progress and outcomes.The Ministry of Justice provides funding for victim and witness support services, including ringfenced funding for sexual violence and domestic abuse services.